Help Finding a Van Slyke from New York

Bill asked Olive Tree Genealogy for help.

I believe that my family could be a descendent of the Vanslyke  Family . My Great grandmother was Edith Vanslyke and she did in 1900 giving birth to my grandmother. They were from the Rome, itica area. Edith  Married Franklin Henry Batchelor (Bathcheller). Name change. Also From Rome N.Y. If there is  any correlation to this  I would appricate anyinfomation that you may have or pictures if that is the case.

Although I have written 3 books on the Van Slyke family, I do not have Edith in my database as she is not far enough back in time. My books start in the early 17th century and end in the early to mid 19th century.

But I decided to have a quick look on Ancestry to see if I could find a bit more on Bill's great grandmother Edith Van Slyke. The 1900 census for the Bronx New York reveals her name was Edith M. Van Slyke and she was born ca February 1864 in New York. [Ancestry.com . 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004]

Edith and Franklin were married circa 1883 so she should be found in the 1880 and 1870 census records. Since I had her death year I looked on FindAGrave and found her burial in Rome, Oneida County New York. She is listed as Edith Marie Van Slyke, daughter of Elias E. and Mary Van Slyke.

More searches of the online census records reveal a 16 year old Edith M. Van Slyke daughter of Elias E and Mary in the 1880 census for Rome, Oneida County New York.

Following Elias Van Slyke, born ca 1838 in New York, we find him with his parents Sylvanus Van Slyke and Maria living in Whitestown Oneida New York in 1850 and Rome New York in 1860. Sylvanus was born ca 1813 and in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 census he is recorded as a shoemaker born in New York. However the 1880 census puts his place of birth as Pennsylvania.

This should be enough to jump start Bill in his quest. Hopefully we can link Edith to either Cornelis Van Slyke who arrived in New Netherland (present day New York) on De Eendracht in 1634 or his nephew Willem Van Slyke who sailed to New Netherland on De Trouw in 1660. I am lucky enough to be descended from both Cornelis and his nephew.

My books on the Van Slyke family are available as:


The Van Slyke Family in America: A Genealogy of Cornelise Antonissen Van Slyke, 1604-1676 and his Mohawk Wife Ots-Toch , including the story of Jacques Hertel, 1603-1651, Father of Ots-Toch and Interpreter to Samuel de Champlain REVISED EDITION published 2010. 287 pages. 8.5x11, coil bound.  

New Netherland Settlers: Willem Pieterse Van Slyke aka Neef - A genealogy to five generations of the descendants of Willem Pieterse Van Slyke who settled in New Netherland (New York) in 1660. published 2005. 198 pages. 8.5x11, coil bound.

FIguring Out Where an Ancestor Arrived and Settled in Canada Before 1865

Gail wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with a challenge.

Since you say you love a challenge, I have one for you. Franz Alois Frankenberger was born in Monchberg, Germany in 1833. He came to Canada before moving on to Buffalo, N.Y.  My challenge is to find the port they came into, and where they actually settled. The first 4 children were born in Canada before 1865. The other 3 were born in Buffalo. Can you help find them?

Gail - Here are some ideas and suggestions for your research.

The first important thing you need to know is that ships passenger lists arriving in Canada did not have to be archived until 1865. So your chances of finding your ancestors on a ship manifest IF they came in directly to a Canadian port are slim. However - and here is the second important thing for you to note - there are scattered substitutes. There are shipping agent records, immigration agent records and records of steamship passage along the Great Lakes carrying immigrants further inland.

There is a comprehensive list of *all* available substitute records, and links if they are online, at Filling in the Gaps in Ships Passenger Lists to Canada 

Third important fact - Ontario vital records were not registered until 1869 so if Franz' children were born in Ontario before that year you will need to locate church records IF they still exist. Remember that these are early years for Ontario as it was not settled until after the American Revolution. So records are sparse and scattered. It takes time, energy and patience to find what might be relevant to your ancestral search. 

You may have noticed my assumption that Ontario was where Franz settled. I only suggest that due to your noting that he ended up in Buffalo. Had he settled in Quebec he would likely have gone to Vermont. If an eastern Maritime province, Maine or another eastern seaboard state is more likely. That doesn't mean he couldn't have gone to Buffalo from another province, I'm just suggesting the most likely candidate.

Other things you can look for: 

* Try to find a more precise location of settlement in Canada. Here's a few ideas:

1. Check USA census records for each of the Canadian born children as well as their parents. Do they say those four children were born in Canada or do they say Canada Eng (usually refers to Ontario), Canada East, Canada West or some other designation. Canada East = Quebec. Canada West = Ontario. 
2. Look for death records and obituaries of the four Canadian born children.
3. Look for the death record and obituary of Franz and his wife.
4. Look for marriage records of the Canadian-born children as they might contain more precise birth locations

I like Ancestry.com for Canadian census records and GenealogyBank for American newspaper records. You can also consult Fulton Postcards for New York newspapers.

* Did you look for the family in available Canadian census records for 1861? You haven't told me when his four children were born so I don't know if they were in Canada in that year. 

These are just a few of the next steps you might want to take in your search.

New Amsterdam & New Netherland Resources (now New York)

Cornelia asked

my husband has New Amsterdam ancestors, most notedly
Hargerinck/Harpending, but others as well. I'm unversed in New Amsterdam research, was given a cousin's research with names but not much data. where do I look for New Amsterdam records? not many appear to be online. we are in Oregon so we are not in easy reach of NY archives.

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Cornelia. First off, you say "New Amsterdam" but I'm guessing you may have meant New Netherland? New Amsterdam was the name of what is now New York City. New Netherland is now New York state (and bits of other states).

In any case, there are many many resources available for research in both these areas. Those of us with ancestors who settled these areas in the 17th Century are very lucky!

I have many online on my New Netherland section of my website. They include ships passenger lists from Netherlands to New Netherland 1624-1664 the Reformed Dutch Church records for baptisms (1639-1801), marriages (1639-1801) and membership lists (1649-1701), land records and so on.

There are also many 18th Century records online on my website. You can search those by going to the same URL for New Netherland and choosing the type of record (church, census, land records, ships passenger lists, etc) that you want from the Menu.

I also have a list of resource books I highly recommend for New Netherland research. They include court records (there is an abundance of court records for very early years for New Netherland), wills, etc.

Don't Trust Family Lore Blindly!

Janice's Question:

My GRANDFATHER HENRY CHARLES STILLWAGGON born 3 MAR.1878 died 29 JAN. 1955 MARRIED FLORENCE RENN E born 9 NOV.1885 Died MAY 1965 BROOKLYN N.Y. SIBLINGS HENRY, CLARENCE, HOWARD,WILBUR

GREAT Grandfather CHARLES HENRY STILLWAGGON Born 14 JUNE 1854 Died 17 AUG. 1894 MARRIED SARAH JANE VAN DYKE 21 JAN. 1859 Died 17 APRIL 1915. SIBLINGS HENRY, FLORANCE (LULU NICKNAME?), RAY, FRANK

GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER HENRY STILLWAGGON Died 15 JUNE 1886 MARRIED JULIA ___? Died 9 JUNE 1894. SIBLING LOTTIE

My search brings me to a halt as I can"t find MAIDEN NAME for JULIA nor DATE of BIRTH for Julia or GGG HENRY.

Most of information was from relative chatting. and off the head stone at cemetary. there is a family plot where it goes back from my grandparents,HENRY STILLWAGON & FLORENCE RENEE STILLWAGON Great grandparents CHARLES & SARAH JANE VAN DYKE - STILLWAGON_BRADHURST Great Great Grandparents HENRY & JULIA( No maiden name) STILLWAGGON Their daughter LOTTIE STILLWAGGON. Henry Vogt married Abby stillwagon (NOT sure who her parents are as family said GGG had only one child.) These are all in the family plot. at MT Olivet Cemetary. Maspeth NY

Any ideas where I should go next??? Or any answers to these questions

OLIVE TREE ANSWER Dear Janice - You have some information on your ancestors and yet you seem to be missing some that should be quite easy for you to find. I wonder if you relied only on what your family told you?

One of the first things you should do is search census records for your ancestors. For example you say you don't know when Henry (who died 1886) was born, but finding him in census would give you an approximate year of birth, as well as a location.

Census records will also help solve the mystery of family groups - meaning how many children did each couple have, and what were their names.

Here's an example: you have a stray Abby who married a Henry Vogt but you say that your family said Henry and Julia only had one child presumably named Lottie. But had you looked at the census records you'd have seen that is not correct!

Perhaps you don't have a membership to online sites that charge for subscriptioins but you can always take an Ancestry.com Free Trial That would allow you to search census for 1880, 1870, 1860 and so on for your ancestors Henry and Julia. The 1880 census is also freely available (as are other years) at http://www.pilot.familysearch.org/

A quick look in 1880 shows Henry with his wife Julia and (drum roll please!) their daughter Abigail age 24. Abby is of course the nickname for Abigail....

Henry's birth year is circa 1824 in Prussia. Daughter Abigail is cira 1856 in New York so right away you know that Henry arrived in New York sometime before 1856. You've got a birth year (approximate) and location for both Henry and his wife.

A word of caution - since your Henry is from Germany (Prussia) you must also search under his German name, not his Americanized name of Henry! Henry = Heinrich

As well, Stillwagon can be spelled in a variety of ways (Stellwaggon, Stellwagen, Stilwagon, etc) so be sure you use wildcards when searching online sites

Following Henry and family backwards from 1880 in each census year, you are going to find some very interesting information! It will be a great lesson in why genealogists should not rely on family lore as fact, but instead, use it for clues to help you find your family.

The 1870 census shows us that Henry was an American citizen so he naturalized at some point before that year. Have you looked for naturalization records?

I found Henry and his family in 1850, 1860 (a challenge as his surname is indexed as Stellwagen), 1870 and 1880. Each census gave new clues including Julia's full first names, and that he had several children including Emma, Charles H., Abbie and Babethe. German ancestors often had two names such as Johann Heinrich but used the second name as their given name. So finding Julia listed as such in 1850 and 1870 but listed with a different first name in 1860 doesn't surprise me. It does give you another name to use when searching.

Henry's occupation is given in early census as a baker. In later years he is a tollgatherer and a ferry master. Do you see why you need to find ALL census entries for Henry?

You should also be able to narrow the timeline for Henry's immigration to the USA.
Ancestry.com has very complete ships passenger lists for you to search

So my advice is to go slow. Gather the information from all the census years possible. Don't worry about small discrepencies, keep an open mind and be creative when searching! Lastly do NOT believe everything you are told, find supporting evidence by doing your research in census, cemetery, vital records and so on.

Finding an Ancestor in pre 1715 New York

Ken asked:

I have been unable to locate information on the arrival and parents of Peter Zeluff/Zeliff since his first apparent appearance on the Staten Island Militia records of 1715. His name is believed to found there spelled "Cielof". He marries Blandina Van Pelt on the island about 1723. Her Mother was a Borgardus and a descendant of Nicassicus DeSille. He does not seem to be from the Palatinate, although records don't confirm or disaffirm this. He simply appears on Staten Island and would likely have been about 16 when he enrolls in the militia, his name is above Peter Van Pelt, his future father in law on this rolls. I have run into a brick wall. It is tantalizing to think he is of the Uzille family, but the existing records that I have seen don't support this connection. What do I need to do to expand my search ?

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Ken, I know how frustrating searching early New York and New Netherland ancestors can be. However I can't give you suggestions for expanding your search as you have not told me what sources you have used! So I would have to suggest the usual - check the early church records, check land records, check court records (there are excellent early court documents available), check early census records (there is a 1706 census for example).

What I suggest is that you look at the children of this couple. You seem to have good knowledge of Blandina Van Pelt's ancestors. So check the naming pattern of the children. Do they name any of their children after Blandina's parents? If they do, and if they are one of the first two male or female babies born to the couple, you can theorize that the other male and female names (within the first two born) might be Peter's parents' names. Remember, this is just a theory, but it's based on common naming practices wherein the first two female children are named for the grandmothers, and the first two male children for the grandfathers.

Next, have a look at baptismal sponsors (assuming you can find the baptisms of Peter and Blandina's children). Relatives and family friends were most often used. So I would research every sponsor named in the church records and find out exactly how/if they are related to Peter and Blandina. You may get lucky and find a relative of Peter's.

If you do not find a relative of Peter's, then you are possibly looking at a young man who came to New York (New Netherland) as an orphan or as an adventurer who left his family and struck out on his own. Perhaps Peter was in trouble in his homeland and left to escape jail or for financial reasons. But take the best case scenario first and check on those baptismal sponsors and Peter & Blandina's naming of their children.

From Scotland to New York - Finding Answers

Dottie's Question:

Looking for information on Hugh McLeod and wife Jean Gordon McCleod. Came from Glasgow, sons John and James emigrated to NY area about 1880. James was a New York City policeman and married an Italian girl.

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Dottie - You have not told me how you know this information, and what is it you want to know about Hugh and Jean.

Do you have the census reports for the McCleod family in Sotland? And do you have the census reports for the sons in America? I use Ancestry.com for American and Canadian Census records but of course you can use any site you prefer for these records.

As you have Jean's maiden name, I assume that you have family information, or a death or marriage certificate for at least one of the sons.

Scotlandspeople should be your next stop. You can get the census reports for the family, you can see the marriage certificate for Hugh and Jean which will supply parents' names for each of them. You may find other siblings for John and James. The Scottish census indexes are also available at Ancestry.com

Obtaining New York Vital Statistic Records

Fithian's Question

How can I request a birth certificate for my deceased mother (NY State). I have gone to the website of the NYDPH (NY Dept Public Health) and it clearly states that only the person in question, or the person's parent can make that request...which is really strange, don't you think. There is a long-standing discrepancy in the family as to the exact date of her birth, although the town of her birth is accepted as true, as she lived there for her entire childhood. any comments or suggestions?

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Fithian. In recent years, public access to vital records has changed due to privacy concerns and security regulations. Most access rules depend upon when the event occurred and where.

You did not mention where or when your mother was born.

The rules in New York City, Albany, Yonkers and Buffalo are different than the rules in the rest of New York State.

For areas in NYS other than those four, if the birth took place after 1881 and before 1934 (seventy five years ago), you will have no trouble getting a copy of the birth certificate for genealogical purposes. If the birth was less than 75 years ago, you will have to offer proof of death and of your relationship. The basic cost is $22.00

New York to Canada - Finding the Records

Myra's Question (edited):

My great grandfather was George Colburn Herron. He said he was born in 'York State', on 23 August 1836. He died 10 May 1887, in Wilson township, Alpena county, Michigan.

His story was: he was born to Patrick and Mary Ann Herron. He said his father was from Ireland and his mother was Pennsylvania Dutch. He, saying he was the oldest, had 5 brothers and sisters. His mother died when he was about 8, his father apprenticed him out to a bad situation. He ran away from the apprenticeship, and ended up in the Cayuga area, Haldimand county, Ontario, Canada. He lived with Isaac
and Mary Mino, near a Link family (Jacob and Anna Maria) that included a daughter named Catherine, born in 1842 in Germany. The Mino family raised him, and his best friend there was Noble Brackinreed, a local boy who also was apprenticed out later. At one point, most likely during the US Civil War, Noble and George traveled out of Canada to Tennessee, and the story says (he told this to his daughter, who told
her own daughter later, who wrote all the stories down) that he and Noble were looking to improve their lives. They didn't stay there. Noble enlisted in the Union Army in Ohio (30 May 1862), and George returned to the Cayuga area. He and Catherine went off and married secretly, and they had their first child somewhere, either in Canada or the US,by 25 August 1862 (George S. Herron). Their 2nd child, Julia Anna, was born 19 April 1864, maybe in Port Huron, Michigan. No records have been found of the marriage or the first two births. The rest of the births all happened in Alpena county.

I can find NO records of George's family (although I did find a family in Albany, New York, in 1850, with a Patrick and Ann Herrin as parents, and 6 children, one of whom was named George. However, he was not the oldest of the children there, and the birth date (about 1844) was off by about 8 years. I've been told there is also a "York" area in Ontario, and there are Herrons around there, but I haven't found anything showing George there. Nor can I find anything in the Cayuga area indicating George was there! seemed satisfied with his stories being true.

The only time I find George, where I KNOW it's him, is in Alpena county, Michigan. This is my direct family line, and I can't go back beyond great grandfather George Colburn Herron in . I really need help. I use ancestry.com and familysearch.org. I post queries all the time. I have never found anything or anyone that can or will help.

I would love to find anything showing George in the Cayuga area, or something about his marriage or the births of his first 2 children.In 1870, in Alpena county, there are Noble and his wife, Mary, with no children. 2 doors down (sort of, it was a farming community) were George and Catherine, with their 5 children. There, George stated he was born in Canada, and all children were stated to have been born in Michigan. The 1880 census (enumerated by Noble Brackinreed) said he was born in Ontario, with parents born in Ireland and PA. George died in 1887, so no other records are available. His death certificate listed his parents' names, and the 1880 census and his family stories stated where his parents were born.

I really need some help, guidance, etc. on this one

Guest Genealogist Kathryn Lake of LOOKING4ANCESTORS responds: Greetings Myra,

You have a challenging search ahead of you. The information you seek regarding George Herron's birth may not be available. From the information you have provided, George was born between 1836 - 1844 which was before Vital Registration in Ontario which began 1 July 1869. Records for this time period in Upper Canada (Ontario) are often difficult to find, especially births. Parish baptism records might provide the information you are looking for, however, you would need to know the church that the family attended. Have you searched for what records have been microfilmed for Haldimond County on the FamilySearch Library catalog?

A search of Isaac and Mary Minto on the 1851 Canada West census shows no George Herron residing with them. I did find two other "George Herron"s that may be a possibility, but not knowing the names of the siblings I'm not sure. The 1851 Canada West census is indexed and available on Ancestry.com.

Also, have you searched the 1842 Census of Canada West for Patrick Herron? This is a head of household census only. This census in not available on-line. I would suggest contacting the Haldimond County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society to see if they have this census indexed. The microfilm can be borrowed from the Archives of Ontario through inter-library loan.

Another approach is to research George's siblings. Have you found the marriage and death registrations for them? They may name the parents on these records.

Good luck in your research.

Kathryn

Problems with early New York Ships Passenger Lists

Cornelia's Question (one of several she asked)

Johannes Weyrauch b. abt 1785 of Scheichen, Rhine Pfalz (old Bavaria) or Alsace m. bef 1814 Germany/Alsace Mary (surname unknown) d. 1848 of Centre Co., Pennsylvania said to arrive in America on 15 May 1831 in New York (naturalization online at USGenWeb Centre Co., PA) not found in Passengers Arriving in New York 1830-1835. unless his surname's been severely mistranscribed

Olive Tree Answer: Dear Cornelia - One of the problems you are having is that the 1830s New York arrivals are missing many records. It is not that they have been missed in transcribing and indexing, it is that they are lost. There are very few that have been found and thus very few are online. My own English ancestors fell into this time and location. I have documents stating that they arrrived in New York in 1831 but they are not on any of the available lists. What I did (and I suggest you do this too) is to browse page by page every single surviving ships passenger list. I used Ancestry.com but you can order microfilm or check other online resources.

Another way to make sure you have not missed anything is to use wildcards in your search. Wildcards allow you to replace letters and thus ensure that you have checked variant spellings of a surname. So if you are looking for Johannes Weyrauch on
Ancestry.com, you can search for Joh* (which will pick up John as well as Johannes) and Wey* which will find all surnames starting with those 3 letters. Then try Way* to cover all your bases.

Finding Ancestors in 1750s New Jersey

Some years ago, Lew asked about

Derek Tunison was born in 1754 to Denes Tunison and his wife Sarah, nee Hoglandt. I believe they lived in Bridgewater Twp. of Somerset Co., New Jersey. I am searchng for the wife and descendents of Derek. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I responded on a mailing list to Lew's question but I think the process I used to find the answers may be helpful to other researchers of this time period. So I have edited and republished it here:

Olive Tree Answer: Dear Lew, I checked the will abstracts found in "Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey" for you. These books are in 3 vols -- V. I Calendar of New Jersey Wills 1670-1730; V. II 1730-1750; V. III 1751-1760.

Denes Tunison did live in Bridgewater Tp. Somerset Co. He is named in the will of Robert BOLMER,farmer of Bridgewater, 30 Dec. 1754 in regards to Robert's farm -- "...lands adjoining Donies [sic] Tuneson and John Sebring"

With the names of two neighbours (Robert Bolmer and John Sebring) you should now be able to find quite a bit more from the land documents that survive.

Next, I found the will of Cornelis Tunison, who appears to be your Denes' father, in Vol. II - 1730-1750 p 475. The will was written 24 Aug. 1727 and proved 3 Oct AND 3 Nov. 1731. The original can be found in Lib. B, p. 238. It is written by Cornelius Teunissen of Raratan River, Somerset Co. His wife is Neelye. He names his 'home plantation' on the Raritan River.

His children are named as:oldest son Cornelius; eldest daughter Fenmeye widow of George Fairly; second son Tunis;youngest daughter Sarah; third son John; youngest son Dinis [sic]

Dinis is given 'that plantation between the first and second mountains bought of Jacob Sebring, on which my son Cornelius now lives" The importance of the land having been bought from a Sebring, and a Sebring being your Denes' neighbour in
1754 indicates to me that this is the correct man.

In this same volume, on p. 245 I found the will for the man I believe is your Sarah Hoogland's father. The will is of Dirrick Hoogelandt, written 21 April 1746 and proved 8 Aug. 1746. It can be found in Lib D p 399.

Dirrick Hoogelandt is listed as a farmer of Middlesex Co. with wife Annatie. His children are: Hendrick, Derrick,Annatie, Sarah and Maria. His wife is expecting a child. He names his sister Antie Quick; brother Adrian Hoogland;brother Adrian Hoogland's son Hendrick Hooghland [sic]. He mentions "legacies specified in the will of my father" His executors are his brother Abraham Hoogelandt and Dirrick Folckersen.

Adrian Hoogland also has his will on this page so you may wish to find these volumes in a library and read the wills for yourself. Although Derrick speaks of his father's will, I was unable to find any previous Hoogland entries.

If you do not have the Tunison ancestry you might want to check the records of the BOGART family (online book "Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families" compiled by S.V. Talcott, mentioned many times previously on this list) which indicate that Neeltje Bogart bp 23 Aug 1665 to Teunise Cornelise Bogart and wife Sara Rapalje m Cornelis Teunis Denyse [sic] on 23 Aug 1687.

It appears then that your Denis Tunison may be the son of Cornelius Tunisson and wife Neeltje Bogart. Cornelis Teunise was the s/o Teunis Nyssen and his second wife Femmetje Jans aka Phaebea Faelix. This leads you to the infamous John Celes aka Jan Seals who was Phaebea's father.

For more information on these families, refer to the well documented articles:

"Jan Cornelis Buys (alias Jan Damen) and His Three Wives Eybe Lubbertse, Phaebea Faelix (alias Phebe or Femmetje Jans) WIllemtie Thyssen; Teunis Nyssen (or Denyse) and his wife Phaebea Faelix (alias Phebea or Femmetje Jans); Roelof Willemszen and his wife Willemtie Thyssen" by John Reynolds Totten in New York Genealogical and Biographical Record July 1935

"The True Identity of John Sales alias Jan Celes of Manhattan" by Gwenn F. Epperson in New York Genealogical and Biographical Record April 1992

This gives you quite a few new family names to research! For more help with early New Netherland (New York) genealogy, and online searchable databases for this era, see New Netherland Section on Olive Tree Genealogy.

How to Find an Ancestor in New York 1840s

Robin's question was

I’m trying to research an ancestor in New York. I’ve been given the information that he was born in Ireland in 1812. He died in New York (possibly NYC) on March 9, 1897. His name is Robert Graham and he married a woman named Jane. They had a daughter named Elizabeth, who was born in New York, November, 1845 and died in Oakland, CA, May 1906. But, I unfortunately don’t have any documentation to prove any of this information. I’d like to know the best way to follow up on the documentation for this information? What do you suggest as the next step? Thank you, in advance, so very much for your help!!!!

Olive Tree Answer: Hi Robin, what fun for you to gather documentation now on your ancestors! You haven't mentioned if you have found him in census records. If not, that is where I would start.

Since his daughter Elizabeth was born 1845 in New York, you should be able to find Robert in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 census records. This will help you in many ways- it will give you complete family groups, locations of births, an occupation for Robert and more. If you are lucky, you will be able to narrow the timeframe for his immigration by looking at the years and locations of the births of his children. I use
Ancestry.com for census records but you can hunt around and see if there are any free sites. The 1880 census is available online for free at FamilySearch website and their Pilot website has other census years available too.

After you narrow the timeframe for Robert's immigration from Ireland to New York it will be time to hunt for a ships passenger list. Again, Ancestry.com has such complete records for ships passenger lists that it is easiest to go directly there and do a search!

Then you can start looking for the birth record for Elizabeth if that is what you are after. Once you find the family in 1850 census it will narrow your location a bit. You may want to find her death record in California first though as that might give more details on her birth (such as an exact location and/or date). You can order California Death Certificates back to July 1, 1905 from Vitalchek

That 1870 census record will also tell you whether or not Robert naturalized. Look for a check mark in the column about men over the age of 16 being citizens of the United States. If it is ticked, then Robert has naturalization papers somewhere!

There is much more you can do of course, and your search will not be over even after completing all of the suggestions I've given you. But I'll leave you with this for now as it may take you some time to find all the genealogy information that is out there!

Finding the Identity of Denes Tunison and wife Sarah Hoogland

LewisK asked:

Derek Tunison was born in 1754 to Denes Tunison and his wife Sarah, nee Hoglandt. I believe they lived in Bridgewater Twp. of Somerset Co., NJ. I am searchng for the wife and descendents of Derek.

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Lewis, you are now in the thick of genealogy of Dutch ancestors in America, and its sometimes confusing world.

You should check the will abstracts found in "Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey" for you. These books are in 3 vols -- V. I Calendar of New Jersey Wills 1670-1730; V. II 1730-1750; V. III 1751-1760.

Denes Tunison did live in Bridgewater Tp.Somerset Co. He is named in the will of Robert BOLMER,farmer of Bridgewater, 30 Dec. 1754. His neighbour is John
Sebring. Don't overlook the will of Cornelis Tunison, who appears to be your Denes' father, in Vol. II - 1730-1750 p 475. The will was written 24 Aug. 1727 and proved 3 Oct AND 3 Nov. 1731. The original can be found in Lib. B, p. 238. It was written by Cornelius Teunissen of Raratan River, Somerset Co. His wife was Neelye.

His children are: oldest son Cornelius; eldest daughter Fenmeye widow of George Fairly; second son Tunis; youngest daughter Sarah; third son John; youngest son Dinis [sic] Dinis is given 'that plantation between the first and second mountains bought of Jacob Sebring, on which my son Cornelius now lives" The land having been bought from a Sebring, and a Sebring being your Denes' neighbour in 1754 indicates to me that this is the correct man.

In this same volume, on p. 245 I found the will for the man I believe is your Sarah Hoogland's father. The will is of Dirrick Hoogelandt, written 21 April 1746 and proved 8 Aug.1746. It can be found in Lib D p 399. He is a farmer of Middlesex Co.with wife Annatie and children Hendrick, Derrick,Annatie, Sarah and Maria. He names his sister Antie Quick; brother Adrian Hoogland; brother Adrian Hoogland's son Hendrick Hooghland [sic].

If you are not familiar with your Tunison ancestry, it appears that your Denis Tunison may be the son of Cornelius Tunisson and wife Neeltje Bogart. Cornelis Teunise was the s/o Teunis Nyssen and his second wife Femmetje Jans aka Phaebea Faelix. This leads you to the infamous John Celes aka Jan Seals who was Phaebea's father.

For more information on these families, refer to the well documented articles:

"Jan Cornelis Buys (alias Jan Damen) and His Three Wives Eybe Lubbertse, Phaebea Faelix (alias Phebe or Femmetje Jans) WIllemtie Thyssen; Teunis Nyssen (or Denyse) and his wife Phaebea Faelix (alias Phebea or Femmetje Jans); Roelof Willemszen and his wife Willemtie Thyssen" by John Reynolds Totten in New York Genealogical and Biographical Record July 1935, and "The True Identity of John Sales alias Jan Celes of Manhattan" by Gwenn F. Epperson in New York Genealogical and Biographical Record April 1992

You may also want to peek at THE DAMEN FAMILY OF LONG ISLAND New York Also you may find it helpful to read The Nephews of Jan Jansz Damen by Dorothy Koenig and Pim Nieuwenhuis in Volume 4, Number 2 May 1999 pages 36-39 of New Netherland Connections. The two nephews discussed are Jan Cornelisz Buys (aka Damen) who had three wives, 1) Eybe Lubberts, 2) Phebe Sales, and 3) Willemptje Thyssen; and his first cousin, Jan Cornelisz Damen, who married Fytje Martens.

Also this may be helpful Jan Corneliszen Damen in the New World by Lorine McGinnis Schulze (yes, yours truly), published on pages 47-56 of Volume 4, number 2 (May 1999) of New Netherland Connections. It is an account of the 13 children of Jan Corneliszen Damen and Sophia Marten, to the 3rd generation (grandchildren of Jan and Sophia)

Last but not least, Utrecht Farmers In Netherland From M.S.F. Kemp's Krommerijners in de nieuwe wereld Excerpted and translated by John H. Van Schaick in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, VOL. 127, January & April 1996

The Van Sickelen, Van Sickles Family in New Netherland New York

Jim asked

Q: Zacharias Van Sickles married 1660 Anna VAN VALKENBURGH. They had eight children

1) Anne Sickles who married Abraham Isaacs
2) Robert b. C1665 Albany, N.Y. d. 12/27/1729 Bergen, N.J. Married 4/5/1686 in Albany, N.Y. to Gertrude RIDDENHARS probably of Hackemack, Virginia
3) Lambrecht Sickele b. 1661 m1 Maria Jansen 1690 m2 Wyntie Dykman 7/19/1717
4) Elizabeth m William Barantse
5) Zarcharias b. 1670 m. Marytie Janse Brevoort 8/29/1693 in NYC, NY
6) Thomas m Jannetje Janse Brevoort 4/5/1702
7) Gritjie bp 5/17/1684 Albany, N.Y.
8) Lea bp 5/8/1687 Albany, N.Y.

Where was Zacharias from? Who were his parents?

A: Douglas van Buskirk citing Our Nordic-Viking Roots by Gene Van Sickle states: Peter Stuyvesant met Zacharias Sickelen in Curacao and took him as a cadet coporal in 1655 to Fort Orange. Citation by Douglas van Buskirk, personal comment from Gene Van Sickle who quotes from the book Colonial Lineages in America

"... Ferdinandus Van Sicklen, Born in Ghent, Belgium,1635 settled near Coney Island ..."

"... There was however one Zacharia Van Sicklen also born in Ghent, Belgium and lived in Vienna, town of Utrech Provence of Holland. Zach, undoubtedly was a cousin of Ferdinandus, was a cadet with the Dutch West India Co. And came to America in 1647 as a guard and orderly of Peter Stuyvesant who was to become Governor of New Amsterdam. Zach was first stationed at Ft. Orange (Albany, N.Y.) And married Anna Volkenburgh. After some of their children were born Zach dropped the Van and spelled his name SICKLES, however at least on of his sons retained the VAN.

No firm record has been found to indicate Zacharias place of birth. According to Rosalie Bailey in her book Pre Revolutionary Dutch Houses she lists Vienna, Austria as his home. In the Ancestry of Franklin Merriam Peabody he is listed as Zacharias Von Weenan and as from Vianen, Utrech Province, Holland. Vianen is a small town approximately ten miles south of Utrech, Holland.

".... earned as Adelborst [a gentleman soldier - more than a common soldier. In another place he is called corporal] according to the settlement thereof signed by Rodenbergh and Verellon; further the said Zacharias Sickels VAn Weenen, hereby appoints and empowers the lawful holder of this paper to ask, demand and receive said sum of thirty-six guilders and ten stuivers in fatherland from said right honorable directors of the privileged West India Company at the Chamber of Amsterdam, and having resolved it be pass acquitance therefor, which shall be valid as though it were given by the subscriber himself, moreover to do and perform all things, in order to obtain the aforesaid sum, which the subscriber, himself being present could or might do; also if the matter demands more special authority than stnads expressed in this paper, promising to all times to hold good and true whatever by virtue of this paper shall be done, under pledge of his person and estate.

Thus done in Fort Orange,in presence of Lowies Cobussen and Johannes Provoost,as witness hereto called,on this 28th. of August, A.D. 1659

Sacharyas Seeckelse [sic - his signature]
Ludovicus Cobes
Johannes Provoost, witness"

Looking for an ancestor from Germany to New York to Galveston Texas

On Jan 4, 2009 Yvonne in Kansas asked:

My ancestor Willm Jacobs Tammen b. 17 FEb 1850, Eversmeer Ostfriesland Germany, arrived in America at Galveston, TX in Oct 1890. with his wife Hauke Wina Decker Tammen and six children. They took a train to Wichita Falls and live there the rest of their life. The 'family' story is that they arrived at New York on 'the big boat' and transferred to a 'cattle boat' for the trip to Galveston. I have searched all the records of Castle Garden in New York and have not found them also the Galveston Ships lists do not mention them. I would like to find what ship (s) they traveled on and the dates they arrived in New York and Galveston. Or when and where they left in Germany. I feel that I will have to find a record on the German side. Where do I go from here.

MY ANSWER: Yvonne, it sounds like you have done a lot of research and kept track of the family lore. One thing to make note of is that the Galveston Ships Passenger Lists don't include passengers who transferred en route. So that means if your Tammen family came in to any other port first, then on to Galveston Texas, they will not be on the incoming Galveston Manifest.

You would have to look for them in the main port they arrived at. If your family story is of a New York arrival, you may want to search there first. You can always expand your search to other ports of arrival if you need to. You mention checking Castle Garden records. It's important to note that Castle Garden existed as a processing station for immigrants between 1 August 1855 and 18 April 1890. So after 18th April, it was no longer Castle Garden.

Passenger lists for the Castle Garden time period (and beyond) are available on microfilm and online at Ancestry.com

Another point to mention is that there are a few problems with some of the New York passenger lists. In general from about June 15th 1897 until March or April 1903, the lists for first class and second class passengers were not collected at Ellis Island
and do not survive, so therefore will not appear on microfilm, nor in the Ellis Island online database. I know this may be too late for your Tammen family arrival but it's something to keep in mind. Marian Smith has written several articles on the Missing Manifest problem on her blog

Was your ancestor naturalized? The 1900, 1910 ,1920 and 1930 census identify citizenship status, with notations showing the individual was an Alien, or had started the Naturalization process or had his final papers. I see that in the 1900 census he had his first papers (PA in the column for citizenship details) so you can have a hunt for those. If you check 1910 it will tell if he is naturalized by then. You can read more about the value of census records in your search for an immigrant ancestor on the website NaturalizationRecords.com

Last but not least, you could research all the children. Since they were all born in Germany there is a chance that an obituary might provide more details on their immigration to America.

I'm also curious what your source is for the arrival date you gave of October 1890. Depending on the accuracy of the source, the date may not be correct. For example if you found this date on a census record, you cannot trust it to be correct. Immigration and Naturalization years are often mis-remembered so you should always search a year or two on either side. I saw that in the 1900 census, Willm has a date of immigration of 1890 but you should be searching in a wider range unless you have other evidence showing that year.

If you want to respond to my answer, please post it as a comment here on the blog and I'll try to help further if possible

What is a Half-Orphan?

Nancy wrote: My grandfather, August Alfred Siegmund, was born in New Jersey in 1889. I was surprised to find him listed in the 1900 census at the Society for Relief of Half Orphans and Destitute Children in New York City because I never knew he was orphaned. He remained in the NYC area and married there in 1913. I assume records were kept when a child was placed in an orphanage - where would I find those records?

MY ANSWER: Hi Nancy. Congratulations on your new find! Half orphans were those who had one parent still alive but that parent could not care for them. So it seems likely your grandfather was not a true orphan (meaning both parents dead)

Yes, the orphanages kept records - often good records, so you can have a look in the FHC catalogue to see what is filmed

There are some orphan records online and also a bit of history on New York orphanages which might interest you.

Looking for German immigrant to USA 1850s

On Jan. 8/09 Linda sent a query:

Duzel, Gustav Aldolphus born: 1830, Prussia > Germany. died: 1903 Yreka, Siskiyou County, CA. buried unknown. occ: came as a fur trapper 1855-56 w/ Steven/Steve McKAY, who family says, they both hunted for the Hudson Bay Fur Company on the Canadian and Down the West Coast of USA. via Oregon into to CALIFORNIA.

Gustav then became a gold miner in the Hamburger Area of Siskiyou county. He then in 1860, m: "DOC", an American Indian, medicine lady of the KARUK trible of the Klamath River Indians, She is thought to have died in 1921, but I don't know where.

I have most of the 1850 - 1900 census and can piece together the family of sorts..what i most would like is , the boat GUSTAV came on (dates/Locals)? did he naturatlize? and the English name of DOC ?

I have looked high, low, asked, begged and just about had a heart attack trying to find these folks since 1998, but haven't been awful sucessful

Hi Linda - What a challenging family you have been hunting! I like to look at the records researchers have already found, in case I can spot something that might be an overlooked clue. In doing so I can see why you are having trouble. There are many discrepancies that need clarification.

But to get to one of your questions - did Gustav naturalize - the answer lies in the 1900 census. In that census Gustav's data shows that he is a widower who immigrated in 1850 and he is naturalized (NA in the column)

The 1870, 1900, 1910 ,1920 and 1930 USA census identify citizenship status. Some years have notations showing the individual was an Alien, or had started the Naturalization process or had his final papers. These are great clues to help narrow the time frame for finding naturalization records! For an explanation of the terms used in the 1900 census (AL, PA, NA) see The Importance of Census Records

So you will want to search for Gustav's naturalization papers. Footnote.com has Naturalization Records from NARA, and Ancestry.com also has some. The best website for free naturalizaton records and links to other sites' naturalization records is my own (I may be slightly biased....) at naturalizationrecords.com

Gustav may be the man who sailed from Bremen Germany to New York 16 June 1851. He is indexed as John Dusel but a look at the image of the manifest (passenger list) indicates to me that the first name is not John. Please see my explanation of this (and graphics to illustrate my conclusions) at To Believe or Not To Believe, That is the Question

To view the passenger list image you will need to either order the microfilm into your closest Family History Center, or use the Ancestry.com New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Please be cautious in accepting the indexed names as I believe that the indexed ship name is incorrect as well. A good look at the image for the passenger list will help you to figure out what the name really is. I suggest the ship may be the Johan and not the Jalary as indexed.

How do I find a website that disappeared?

cbrees wrote: A few years ago I found a website of Carl Boyer's Ship Passeneger Lists New York and New Jersey 1600-1825. It contained ships coming into New York from Belfast in 1802, listing the ship name, complete list of passengers, date of departure and arrival. I located my ancestral grandfather on one of these, George CUMING (or variation in spelling) from Newry, Down County, however he actually boarded the ship at Hamburg. I am unable to locate the NAME of that ship and now wish to locate the entire ship list, which is quite short, but have been unable to locate it anywhere online.

MY ANSWER: cbrees - Don't you hate when that happens? I'm not aware of any website ever putting Boyer's entire book online. So I did a search for you and found what you saw previously on Google Books.

The graphic of the page in the book shows that this is NOT a passenger list but a list of individuals who were naturalized in New York. It is titled "ALIENS NATURALIZED IN NEW YORK 1802-1814"

The record states "George Cummings; Newry; 34; Ireland; GB; Hamburgh; 29 Oct. 1802. ..." (GB = Great Britain)

If you read the first of the page online, there is an explanation of the record you are looking at. It's always a good idea to learn what it is you are reading - so that you don't confuse a naturalization date with an immigration date for example.

The date 1802 is the date the report was filed, not the date the person sailed. So we see that George came from Newry via Hamburg, was 34 years of age and filed for his naturalization papers in October 1802

At the time George was naturalized, it was not necessary to check to see if his memory was accurate, and no one verified his arrival on a ships list.

See the website Naturalization Records for more info and links to online naturalization records.

Looking for Robert McMorland on Ships Passenger List Scotland to New York

Diana wrote:

QUESTION: Just wondering if you would please do a lookup for Robert MCMORLAND on a ship's passenger list? He emigrated from Scotland with his wife, Margaret and their two or three children to the United States about 1859 and settled in New York State.

MY ANSWER: Hi Diana. I don't generally do lookups but in this case, it's a great chance for me to get on my soapbox again about not limiting your searches when looking for an ancestor.

Robert is in Ancestry.com Ships Passenger Lists. He's been badly MISindexed although to be fair the original manifest DOES look like the name the transcriber came up with --

He is mis-indexed as ROBERT M. MORELAND, sailing 13 Jun 1859 from Liverpool, England to New York on the ship White Star. Oddly enough his wife is not with him but three children are:

Janet, 5
Maggy, 3
John, infant

Robert is listed as age 24, a laborer. He and kiddies came in steerage.

Here is a tutorial called Using Search Engines to Find Ancestors which you may find helpful. If you are having trouble finding someone, it's always a good idea to use wildcards if allowed (check each Search Engine's HELP section) and even leave out last names. Try searching just under first names, or years of birth. In short, be creative and don't get too hung up on what you know (or think!) the spelling of your ancestor's name is.

Looking for Annetje Bradt's Death Date

Linda wrote: Is there any source for Annteje Barents Bradt's death? I've seen 1661 listed with mention made of a pall purchased on Feb. 13th year, but not who the purchaser was.

MY ANSWER: Linda - I'm glad you asked this question! So many researchers just accept unsourced records they find online or in a book, so it's really great to see you checking your facts. Have you looked at the online Bradt Family Descendants of Albert Andriessen de Noorman aka Bradt?

One reference to Annetje's pall is in Deacons Account, 1652-1674: 1st Dutch Reformed Church of Beverwyck-Albany New York (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America) (available from Amazon.com) translated and edited by Janny Venema

"Receipts of the deaconry in February [1661] 13 received 9 boards for the pall from/of Annetgen in the Molenkil (f9)" The Footnote states "Annejte Barents; she was the wife of Albert Andreisz Bratt. See ERA III:161 for the agreement regarding the settlement of her estate"

See New York Genealogical & Biographical Record standard source abbreviations if you are not familiar with the abbreviation ERA.

Cannot Find Ancestor Arriving USA from Germany

On 12 Dec 2008 Tony wrote: I am searching the ship on which my ancestors arrived in the New World. I believe my GGG grandfather ADALBERT KARL, spouse KATHARINA MULTRUS and their four children ROSA, JOHN, JOSEPH, and ALBERT from HRADZEN, BOHEMIA, AUSTRIA near PILSEN departed BREMEN in 1859. They do not show up in any incoming passenger lists in America. To no avail I have searched the Steve Morse site using the following wildcards: ada* ade* cat* kat* ros* joh* jos* alb* and surname kar* car* har* and ear*. This leads me to believe they did not enter through the U.S.

Here is a summary of the records I have searched to date:

a) Every U.S. arrival site - including the Steve Morse site - for every combination I can think of.
b) All of the websites of pre-1865 passsenger lists for Canadian Arrivals on the Olive Tree Genealogy site.
c) The "Germans To America" Series.
d) "German Immigrants: Lists of Passengers Bound from Bremen to New York, 1855-1862"
e) The Leo Baca Book "Czech Immigration Passenger Lists, Volumes 1-9 "
f) I have requested citizenship records of Adalbert Karl in the hope that they would reveal the date and place of entry into the U.S. but Immigration wrote me that there is no record. He was naturalized in 1866 according to the local county records, but these shed no light on his date or mode of entry to the U.S..
g) I have written to the Ship List and other genealogy listservs in the hope of finding a morsel of information that I could follow up on. I posted on the Ancestry.com message boards and received a response from a gentleman apparently writing from the Czech Republic who informed me,

"Accordings to the proceeding protocoll of Regional Office of Plzen asked on 1859 Adalbert Karl from Hradzen (Hradec u Stoda) for issuing of emigrant passport to USA .."

I am willing to accept that the absence of data means that my ancestors must have entered through Canada on some impossible-to-trace ship. My questions are this: what would be the typical route for a family from Austria, departing Bremen for America in 1859? Assuming they departed Bremen, would they have stopped in the British Isles? And would there be a record of this arrival or departure? And then, would they typically have arrived at Quebec if they were bound for Dayton? Once at Quebec, would their voyage to the wrong Dayton be via the U.S. or Canada?

MY ANSWER: Hello Tony

You have done a great job of writing up your research and asking for help. I think the fact that your ancestor applied for a passport to the USA in 1859 is a strong clue indicating that he did not come through Canada but did in fact arrive on a ship which landed in America.

I believe I have found your Adalbert on the ships list "Republic" arriving NY 7 Nov. 1859 from Bremen. His origin is given as Bohemia, Czechoslovakia and he is 51 years old.

I'm familiar with the New York ships passenger lists and they can be very difficult to read. Some passengers have no first name in the index. Some have only an initial.

I found Adalbert by searching without any names at all and only using his date of birth (which was the only thing missing from your excellent query below) and his year of arrival.

He is misindexed on Ancestry as "Balbert Kar" Had you searched with wildcards on surname for "kar*" and no first name, he should have shown up. But sometimes the Ancestry search glitches and a result will not appear one time, but will appear the next!

In any case, with "Balbert" are the following individuals who appear to be your family

Adalbert b ca 1852
Catharine b ca 1818
Johann b ca 1842
Joseph b ca 1849
Rosalia b ca 1840

To view the passenger list yourself you will have to use Ancestry.com

************
Lorine's Note: I sent Tony this information in private email and he very kindly replied with this message:

Dear Lorine,

I am speechless. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In my posting I forgot to include the dates of birth of the family members. They all match exactly, including the age of Adlbert. It must be them! I was resigned to the fact that I would never find them, and I never would have dreamt of searching the site as you did. That was incredibly resourceful. Again, I can't thank you enough. I can't wait to obtain a copy of the passenger list.

Grazie!
Tony